This book was recommended to me by one of my directing teachers after attending a seminar taught by the author. This book is an absolutely RICH guide and "companion" (very informal and user friendly) for the new (or experienced) English Teacher. I cannot recommend it more strongly. The author includes copious examples from his own teaching experience at Burlingame High School as well as abundant references to sources. This book is as good as it gets for new English teachers. The book has exhaustive chapters on teaching reading, writing, speaking, listening and thinking, composing a curriculum, measuring student progress, digital literacy, media literacy, issues in teaching English, getting a teaching job in English, organizing, the politics of education, etc. These are very broad areas which are covered in detail.

As a second year teacher, I have been stressing about my teaching style and what I want my classroom to be. This book is an immense help. The reading is straight forward and informative. Chapter 9 is great! If you need justification for teaching grammar or vocabulary this book really helps and it gives concrete ideas and examples for the teacher who needs plans for her classroom. It's a good buy!

I just started my 25th year of teaching and I am always on the lookout for new, fresh ideas. That's exactly what I got in Jim Burke's book. You can tell a teacher wrote it because it is designed to be read a few pages at a time in the teachers' lounge over a cup of coffee. I carry it in my briefcase and pull it out when I'm waiting for the kids at the dentist, during commercials of Indianapolis Colts football games, and waiting in the school parking lot for my daughter after volleyball practice. I've also contacted Jim on several occasions about teaching issues and he is extremely helpful and incredibly responsive. I'm not quite sure how he does all he does. If you are a first year teacher, buy this book. If you're approaching the end of your career, buy this book. If you're somewhere in between, buy this book.

This is the first and only text containing a complete and understandable body of knowledge on the disorder known as hemochromatosis. Thanks to this book our entire family has been able to efficiently and correctly diagnose this metabolic disorder. We were amazed to discover that the general population of physicians responded with skepticism and used outdated information. Some were reluctant to order the basic blood tests necessary to detect iron buildups. Not only does the book provide an excellent guide to detection and treatment, but more importantly it ameliorates the mental and emotional stress that comes from lack of knowledge and concern for your loved ones. It should be required continuing education reading for all medical practitioners.

The Iron Disorders Institute "Guide to Hemochromatosis" is a cogent book. The cover gets ones attention immediately, as it lists the symptoms on the cover. When my daddy died on July 4, 2000, I had never heard of Hemochromatosis, I am 57. He was diagnosed, too late, on July 1, 2000. After a zillion hours of searching the Internet about Hemochromatosis, I came away very angry about this "most common genetic disorder, because it is basically unknown by the layman and underdiagnosed by the medical profession, 1/250 have it and don't know it, and 1/10 carry the gene," per the CDC. (Many professionals still call it a "rare old man's disease.") Excuse me, but women have Hemochromatosis also. All that was needed was for my daddy to have had an early diagnosis, and give blood to reduce his iron level. This book is the most comprehensive and up-to-date information that the layman can read about Hemochromatosis. And the layman had better read it, because their doctors don't know about its prevelence, and many don't know to test for it. Instead the doctors continue to "well-meaningly" treat the patient's symptoms. Simple blood tests that are described in the book, can diagnose Hemochromatosis. The individual must arm themselves with this book's information and help educate their doctor. In fact, I have bought "Guide to Hemochromatosis" for a few doctors.

I am absolutely delighted with the Iron Disorders Institute
"Guide to Hemochromatosis"!

It has been three years since our family first heard the word
"hemochromatosis", and in that time I have searched public
and hospital libraries as well as the Internet in an attempt to
find factual, non-partisan, current information; comprehendible
by a layperson. I have sifted through clinical information beyond my level of understanding, as well as reams of half-truths, non-truths and sheer conjecture.

What an education, at such an affordable price! I sincerely
appreciate the fact that the Iron DisorderS Institute has offered
the knowledge that there are MANY disorders of iron metabolism,
not ONLY the one that genetically affects our family. They
have offered education in the form of charts, diet and nutritional information; COMPLETE understandable clinical information.

The CDC tells us "Approximately one of every 200 to 400 people
is affected, while one in 10 is a carrier making this one of the most common of the known genetic disorders in the United States". Sadly, it is one of the most MISSED diagnoses. With educational materials like this book offered by experts in the field, I feel hope and confidence that my husband will successfully deal with his diagnosis; our daughters will never experience what their dad has because of their KNOWLEDGE; and for our grandchildren, iron overload will be something they deal with through lifestyle choices and yearly monitoring - it will never hurt them. Perhaps most important, what a gift to an unsuspecting public, so many of whom carry this genetic mutation, and have yet to find that illusive, lifesaving diagnosis!

My most sincere thanks!
Cheryl Mellan,

Like a ship's captain, a CEO is only as good as the latest weather report. If a chief executive unknowingly steers his or her ship into the path of a hurricane, that ship's in trouble, no matter how skillful a seaman that captain may be. And unfortunately for CEOs, hurricanes - in the form of disruptive changes that remake markets overnight - have become almost an everyday danger. Authors W. Warner Burke, William Trahant and Richard Koonce argue that the most critical function of a corporate leader today is to monitor and respond to these rapid shifts in the external marketplace, or business climate. To illustrate this point, they offer insightful profiles of leaders who successfully guided their companies through the storms of organizational change initiatives. These profiles are especially effective in giving the reader both a sense of the personalities of these dynamic executives and a practical breakdown of the methodologies and strategies that they employed. We [...] strongly recommend this book to senior executives, would-be change agents and anyone curious about how to navigate the turbulent environment of 21st-century business.

After reading BUSINESS CLIMATE SHIFTS it was clear to me that this book was as much about leadership as about change. As a thirty year middle manager who has participated in both the planning and implementation of change, I was extremely pleased to read throughout the book that, although the companies were focusing on the customer, they all recognized the importance of the employees. The one common denominator throughout the book was that how management treats the employees is how the employees treat the customers. Although Colin Marshall at British Airways and Roger O. Goldman of National Westminster Bancorp. have distinctively different styles, they both recognized the importance of employees in the change process and demonstrated that leadership is key to effective and efficient change.

Starting my career in government late in life, I have noticed a reluctancy of federal executives to get the rank and file involved in major change initiatives. I suggest that any government manager or executive contemplating change read BUSINESS CLIMATE SHIFTS. The lessons learned from those who have been there, both government and industry, are invaluable and provide a framework for developing issues and questions that need to be addressed before any major shifts or changes in organizational culture.

This book is a must-read for anyone involved with organizational change -- whether you are managing the change or experiencing it from the "front lines." These fascinating Q & A's gave me real insight into the process. I recommend Business Climate Shifts to any forward-thinking person in the corporate world today.

I have liked GE 999 ever since I started readng it in Animerica magazine. So, I got this book, but discovered that this is actually the *sequel* to the *first* adventure of Maetel and Tetsuro. I got this information from the biographies of the characters and the clues in the story. As a result of not havign read the first series, I am a tad bit lost. Can someone tell me WHY they chose to publish the sequel in English before they translated the first series? It doesn't make any sense!

Anyway, the characters are fun and I enjoy their adventures. But the blurb at the end of every chapter is too deep and confusing for me to understand.

I like this, and I will look up the first series--right after I find out who started this translating mess in the first place.

I love Matsumoto's work. Maetel is one of my all-time favorite characters, as is her friend (and in the movie "Maetel Legend", her sister) Emeraldas. Harlock is...interesting, but kinda cool. Tetsuro, well...he's okay.

The plots are incredible! They really make you think (and I'm not just talking about the blurbs at the end of each segment!). There are very few manga that can do that.

I reccomend this series to any and every anime/manga fan!

In the distant fututre, ayoung boy named Tetsuro steals a boarding pass to a train called the Three-Nine. After emabarking, he meets a woman named Maetel, who bares a striking resembelance to his deceased mother. A grand journey begins that will take Tetsuro to the edge of the universe and back. He will meet many friends and enemies in his journey of wonder.

No one should buy a car without first reading this book. It's complete and well-organized. It includes formulas, resource lists, samples, scenarios, advice, and every aspect of car buying that you could imagine. And it's an easy read. Read it, study it, write notes on your sleeve, then go to the dealer and buy your car at your price.

Burke's book helped me knock 15-20% off the price when I bought my car thanks to his tips on how to find out what the dealers really pay for it. Also his checklists tell you everything you need to remember through the whole process of buying a car. He also gave some great psychological tools to use when dealing with salesmen, haggling skills that you can use in many other aspects of life. If you're going to buy one book about buying a car, this is the one!

Burke Leon is to car buyers, what Click and Clack are to do-it-yourself amateur auto mechanics, and then some. His lively fact-filled book will help any befuddled car buyer learn to skillfully maneuver through whatever obstacles appear on the road to getting the best price possible for a new or used car.

Thanks to his book, when meeting with car dealers I saw some of the hard core sales techniques they use to intimidate buyers come flying at me with bright neon colors. and I was able to not fall for them. For instance, one of the salespeople said he would have "to eat the cost of new brakes " if he gave me the price I wanted. This kind of statement is vividly described in Leon's book stood out immediately as the manipulation techniques it was.

There is much about this book to recommend. Leon lists most useful auto-related internet sites as well as his own (www.usedcarphd.com) and his email address to get in touch with him personally. For your own sake, make car buying fun and get a copy of this book before you begin the journey of car shopping. The buying tips shared by Leon will prevent you from losing hard-earned cash and the knowledge you will gain will help you develop the confidence and composure required to successfully engage with the most seasoned auto salespeople. Go to it and have some fun while you are at it!

Elena from Massachusetts

Vachss is a man true to his passion, standing up for the abused children of New York or wherever he is called to help and he is one of the most intelligent people I have met. He uses his intelligence to create a way to make everyday people aware of the abuse that exists, call attention to his cause by using the written word and creating Burke, an instrument of revenge, seeker of the truth survivor of the night.

Stepping into Vachss' dark, raw world is like going to a place where I would not be able to survive. He takes us there for a reason: weaving true life horrific events so the reader can briefly and safely see his day to day world with the abuse raging in all its horrifying reality.

The new Burke book, number thirteen, titled Only Child, signals the return of the hero Burke. Upon returning to New York after a long absence and having recovered from injuries sustained in an attempt on his life, he must now cope with the loss of his love Pansy. Burke assembles the usual crew to investigate the murder of a Mafia man's sixteen-year-old love child. The fast paced, sharp dialogue, twists, and eventually the path Burke's investigation takes brings to mind the one of the most recent video horror of The Bums Fights. So weaving Burke's investigation with the truths that we, the citizens of the world know nothing of, Vachss takes us to a darker place indeed! The story delivers with his trade mark bluntness and leaves the reader coping with thoughts upon thoughts of bruised battered murdered children......and what can we do about this.

I appreciate Vachss' single-mindedness, his raw story telling, the depth of his characters, their hurt damaged souls, still able to empathize feel and lash out trying to right a wrong, payback for so much damage. Vachss understand the dark and is talented enough to show us, to make us feel it.

This book is a winner! Vachss' early works are collectable while his later works for some reason are not. This book puts him back here where he belongs: at the top; an extremely intelligent man with a lot to say.

"Only Child" is a return to what makes the Burke novels great. Andrew Vachss is giving us the message through great characterization and great plot when Burke goes back to New York. His great supporting cast is one of the best I've encountered and it's great seeing Mama, Max, Prof, Clarence, the Mole, Terry and Michelle back in the mix. Some of the fringe players are back as well when Burke is hired to investigate the murder of a young girl.

As with all Burke novels, this book takes place in the present and incorporates recent events both above and below ground. People who read it will definitely draw comparisons to the underside of some themes in modern movies like Vin Diesel's XXX (though this book is obviously not an extreme sports action/adventure international spy story, it won't be hard to notice the topicality of some of the themes in this book.)

For Burke fans, you won't be disappointed. For newcomers, there's plenty enough in this book to make you want to read the entire series from front to back.

When it becomes clear at the end of 'Pain Management' that Burke has decided to return home to New York many readers breathed a sigh of relief. Burke's pain at his losses had created a world that was too nightmarishly bleak, even for Andrew Vachss. If the silent crusader had remained, the call of the zero would simply have become too strong.

So the first part of 'Only Child' is a homecoming, one as joy filled as a Vachss story is ever allowed to get. Burke's family - Michelle the transsexual, Mama, the Professor, the Mole, Clarence, Max, Terry, and the countless others that Burke has helped all reappear. It is unusual to speak of love in the dark side of the city that Vachss' characters inhabit, but it is there, ready to lend one of the shadow knight all the strength he needs.

The case Burke becomes a reflection of Burke's one need for family. Two men, both important in the organized crime world come to Burke with a grim problem. One of them had and interracial daughter at a time that is organization could not tolerate that behavior. He gave in to his fears and detached from the woman, and now, 18 years later she is dead, stabbed repeatedly and the police are useless. Giovanni doesn't know if the killing was a sex crime or an attempt at getting to him, but he wants revenge. And he and his lover want Burke to find the killer.

The story turns into an intricate piece of detection, which is rare for a Vachss novel. In order to penetrate the world the girl lived in, Burke must hatch scheme after scheme, including an outstanding effort as a casting director. This is really one of Vachss more interesting plots, a shade less noir than usual. Think of it as an anti-heroic procedural.

It has been a while since a Burke story has been this light on its feet, and the change is refreshing. The dialog is sharp, Vachss knack for making the reader feel the ghostly presence of the darkness is at a peak. As is his ability to penetrate to the essence of the victims and their predators. I think many old fans who have been less than happy lately will find this one a source of great delight.

Having never seen the anime, my perspective on the book is probably different from the average reader. Upon first reading, I found Volume 1 to have a relatively simple plot hiding behind the complex scenes and characterizations. Perhaps this is the beauty of Evangelion: it seems so difficult to understand, but at the most basic level it's just another case of humanity trying to preserve itself. And yet this series presents the classic dilemma with such a unique twist.

Shinji obviously has some major issues, and with a father like Gendo Ikari, it's understandable. The tension between father and son is so strong; in fact the interactions/conflicts between all the human characters provide a quiet turbulence throughout the story.

One complaint, however: Evangelion is Sadamoto's first full-length manga, and it shows. Although most of the artwork is certainly up to par, the fight scenes between the evangelion and the angel in Vol. 1 were difficult to follow. Perhaps for someone who had seen the anime, this would be not so much of a problem, but since I'm not too familiar with the Who's-Who of Big Honkin' Robots, I couldn't always figure out who was hitting who. Otherwise, Neon Genesis Evangelion is an excellent story and highly recommended for those who like something that's stretch their minds.

This is the start of a totally great manga and anime series. If u are serious about your manga's and anime's, I seriously suggest u read Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is about a 14-yr-old boy in the future who has never know his father and his mother is dead and he is living with his aunt and uncle. Suddenly out of nowhere, he gets a postcard from his dad saying that he needs him. He goes to the place to were he needs to meet him. Thinking to himself y his father, after so many years, needs him and for wut reason. I don't want to waste the rest of the story, because that is when u come in. Humor (tones of it!), romance (some), action (u can say that again),... Hope this helps! ^_^

Rei piloting EVA 01? Shinji being just a little less wishy washy? If you love the anime series like I do, the manga is a must. The art is solid throughout and the story is why we love Neon Genesis Evangelion so very much. If you are still not convinced, there is a must read essay by Ano on the last couple of pages and it gives you a whole 'nother view of this remarkable series.

Burke Davis did a spectacular job with this book and I highly recommend it. Not having served in the Marine Corps, this book gave me a pungent taste and deep admiration for this elite fighting brotherhood of which Puller is a legend. What came through to me most about Puller was his incredible humanity and compassion for his men. Puller would never eat until his men ate first, and in the midst of the frostbitten epic Marine engagement at the Chosin Resevoir in the Korean War, Davis writes that Puller took his own jacket off to give to a grunt who didn't have one. This to me is what made Puller special and puts a gold plate on the heroic bust that Davis has crafted - fearsome pugnacity, steely toughness, and unparalleled leadership were qualities he possessed in uncommon quantities, but his heart of gold was what makes him and this book stand out. It's a sad commentary on modern day America that a man like Chesty Puller would probably be mocked, scorned and marginalized. A good read.

Marine! The life of Chesty Puller is one of the best books I've read of Marine Corps history. Chesty played a major part of that history and this book tells it like no other. You'll read it over and over again

Read any non-fiction book written about American warfare from WWII to Vietnam and they mention Chesty Puller. He was with the 1st Marines on Peleliu, fought in the awful frozen mountains of North Korea and commands Marines in Vietnam. Truly a man's man. His courage beyond question. Highly decorated including the Navy Cross. His career is unparalleled in the Corps and his life is a shining example of American Warriordom. He is certainly due his own story in the annals of military history. This book will be a find addition to any personal library. I highly recommend it.

If you love cookies and brownies, and who doesn't, then you'll love this book!

Even if you're not a cookie cooking professional, you'll be able to whip yp the best desserts on the block! (Be sure to share them with your neighbors, they'll be wondering what that wonderful smell is coming from your kitchen)!

You'll learn cookie details, cookie decorating, and how to eat the cookies you've made before anyone else in your house finds out -- only kidding!

Recipes include: shortbread, butter cookies, chocolate cookies, classic cookies, my favorite -- biscotti, along with cute sketches, great quotes, and a listing of ingredient and equipment how to's to keep you occupied while waiting for your treats to finish cooking!

I've been cooking for many years, during the time I was raising my sons I must have baked thousands of chocolate chip cookies, very good chocolate chip cookies I thought. Until now, I just made some using the recipe and technique from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies, what wonderful cookies they are, soft and chewy in the middle with crip brown edges, the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted. If the other recipes are this good then the book is a miracle...this one recipe though makes the book priceless. If you love to bake then treat yourself to Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies.

I bought this book because Ms. Medrich did a presentation at the bookstore where I worked. Needless to say, the "samples" she brought were devoured in minutes.

Following her careful, yet simple, instructions and tips, will make for wonderful cookies and brownies. These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made, and I have tried several recipes, and the apricot/lemon bars were also a big hit. I am going to make several of the recipes here for Easter sunday with the family, and I am confident that they will be well received.

Ms. Medrich's other cookbooks are on my wish list because her recipes are to me, the standard in dessert making.

You will laugh, cry and be confused when you read this book. This book can teach you that what you think is good is not always good.

There is a boy named Peter Pan. He sprinkles fairy dust in Wendy and her two brothers. Then he shows them how to fly. He takes them to Neverland and shows them to the Lost Boys who live there. Wendy becomes their mother. She makes up rules, like any other mother would do. The boys have to follow these rules. Everything was fine until Captain Hook came with his crew to where the boys and Wendy were. While Wendy and the boys were at the lagoon, where they go every day after dinner, they see a girl named Tiger Lily, princess of her tribe. She was captured by Smee, one of Captain Hook's men. Then Peter saved her. A few days later Wendy and the boys were on their way to Wendy's house when they too were all captured by Captain Hook. Then Peter saves them. Then the lost boys, Wendy and her brothers go home. All except for Peter.

It is mostly about what the people in the book think is right with childhood. The kids in the book think that if you grow up it is bad, but in our case it is actually good.

Peter Pan is a violent book not really made for children under the age of 10 but people 10 and up can read it. It is violent because of the language that is spoken and the idea that killing could be fun. Also, the vocabulary is very difficult for children under 10 to understand. Even if you're older it is difficult to understand.

Overall, it is a good book but watch out for the violent ideas if you are reading it to little children.

When talking of literature, people tend to look solely at books they read today but forget what they used to read, namely the ones we read as children. It is a common misunderstanding that children's literature is to be read by children and children only, but when we come to think of it, which one of us are not children, at least in our hearts?

One of the best books any child, young or old, can read is Barrie's Peter Pan. Although written in the past century, it has something for any generation at any time. Its humorous views at the world from a child's mind left me rolling over the floor, laughing; the exciting storyline kept me busy with reading until the end; and the serious undertone made me think of whether the world wouldn't be a better place if we realised that deep down, however deep, we are in fact all children. So if YOU are a child, which you most certainly are, get yourself a copy and enjoy your ongoing childhood.

This is an utterly charming work. It has been retold myriad times, but nobody else has done it as well as the original teller, J. M. Barrie.

It's difficult to know what to say about a book like this... everybody knows the story. But I guess that unless you've read this book (not just seen a movie or read a retelling), you don't really know the character Peter Pan, and without knowing the character, you don't really know the story. So read it.

By the way, if you enjoy this, you probably would also like "Sentimental Tommy" and its sequel "Tommy and Grizel", both by Barrie. There are differences (for one thing they're not fantasy), but there are also compelling similarities. Anybody who found Peter Pan a deep and slightly bittersweet book would be sure to enjoy them.

-Stephen